Rovinian folklore group "Batana"

The Rovinian folklore group "Batana", who have already been performing for ten years, deem it their responsibility to place the nurturing of their original "cantos" which, like many of the other Mediterranean songs of this nature (Dalmatian, Neapolitan, Greek), are sung in the native dialect of their region, in this case the Italian dialect spoken in Rovinj, first and foremost amongst their many obligations to this tradional style of song.

The group "Batana" got their name from the small fishing boats which have always been a symbol of Rovinj's traditions and its lifestyle. Several Rovinian families, determined to preserve this unique style of music, which they believed was on the verge of dying out, got together in order to teach their children this particular form of singing. This humble yet noble idea has developed into years of continous work for the group, which can today boast of many successful performances throughout Europe.

Their first ever concert was held in dedication to Hilde Novak, the German painter who obtained their first costumes. Apart from appearing at numerous folklore festivals and other similar manifestations, and performing as part of the promotional tourist campaigns for tourism in Rovinj and Istria, the group also performs in such places as stores, hotels and camps.

The group performs several indigenous musical genres, of which they most frequently sing traditional "bitinadas", which are not typical songs but rather rhythmical and harmonious vocal accompaniments - singing a cappella, that is without the backing of instruments, which are in fact replaced and imitated by the vocalists themselves. Of course, the group also perform more typical styles of songs, accompanied by traditional instruments - mandolins, guitars - to which they can add the accordion and trumpet, which makes it possible for "Batana" to perform their repertoire in places throughout central Istria, all done in order to give tourists a more complete picture of the region's wealthy musical traditions.

We had a chance to speak to group members Riccardo Bosazzi and Pino Bartolo after an evening performances on one of the many squares which dot Rovinj. Many years of performing, all in the name of tourism and keeping alive the musical tradition which we love, have enabled us to subsequently become a symbol of Rovinj's indigenous culture. This in turn has led to an increasing number of invitations from abroad over the last while, mainly from people who saw and heard us perform while vacationing in Rovinj, a fact that has definitely made us the ambassadors of our vocal tradition. We would like to make mention of our notable appearance at the International Folklore Festival in Rome, where we exemplified a specific type of musical attraction, taking into account that we were the only group to use mandolins. As a matter of fact, there exists an entire residential area in Rome which is commonly known as the "Istrian-Dalmatian village", in which some of our relatives live, so we felt right at home

Over the last five years the group has been comprised of five members, which include the entire Sugar family, with soloist Antonella Sugar-Rocco leading the group. Looking towards the future, and keeping in mind the tastes of the more demanding musical public, we will soon begin perfoming "aria da nuoto", a genre which is closest to chamber music in character, whose roots are established in the singing style of church music, and which is suitably fitted for listening to in the classic ambience of a sacral setting

The pair went on to add:"To date, we have recorded two cassettes and one CD. We would like to take this opportunity to invite all those interested or curious about our music to come to the small but picturesque Campiello del Monte square on 17 August, 2001. There we will introduce and perform our latest CD, ";Makar i pješke"; (Even by foot, if necessary), and organize a real home-style party for all in attendance"

TURISTIČKA ZAJEDNICA ROVINJ COMUNITA' TURISTICA DI ROVIGNO